Texas City Police Restrict Flock Camera Access After Two Misuse Cases
Texas City PD has tightened oversight of its Flock license plate readers following two confirmed misuse incidents. New rules cut search access by two-thirds.
Texas City tightens Flock camera rules after officers misused license plate readers
The Texas City Police Department will overhaul how it manages its network of Flock Safety automated license plate readers after an internal audit revealed two instances of possible misuse, houstonpublicmedia.org reported, citing a September 16 news release.
Chief of Staff Joe Tumbleson said the first case involved a non-commissioned officer who queried their own license plate to check on their child's whereabouts. Disciplinary action was taken against that officer. The second case concerns a sergeant at the department whose alleged misuse of the camera system remains under active investigation.
Both incidents surfaced after the department's interim police chief ordered an audit of all Flock camera activity, prompted by reports of misconduct in other cities that use the same technology. The review follows a wider wave of scrutiny: two Houston-area communities have already suspended their Flock camera programmes in response to residents' privacy concerns.
Under the revised policy, search access to the automated license plate reader database is now restricted to detectives and supervisors holding the rank of sergeant or above. Tumbleson said the change reduces the total number of staff with search access by roughly two-thirds.
Officers running a query must now supply three separate justifications, including a case number and a stated reason for the search. The department will also conduct monthly audits of all search activity across the system.
Flock cameras have been in operation in Texas City since 2023. The department currently runs 28 fixed Flock units as well as additional plate-reader cameras mounted on patrol vehicles. Tumbleson cited the technology's effectiveness, noting that it helped identify a murder suspect within an hour of the crime being committed.
"What I would like the public to know is that we do want them to trust that we're using these right and that's hopefully what we're doing with these monthly audits," Tumbleson said. "There is some valid criticism of [Flock cameras], but I think that these policies should address that — our goal is to make sure we have complete transparency and the trust of the public in using these effective tools."
Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)